Take Back The Eighth

Those old ghosts had taken a vacation for the first two weeks of the season. But as Steven Matz’s meatball was approaching Ryan Zimmerman, the ghosts were back at home on the couch in the space they rent in our heads.

Same Old Mets.

It’s not quite Same Old Jets. Those ghosts pack heat and they never go anywhere. (They’re in rent controlled space.) But the “Same Old Mets” ghosts are tough to escape sometimes. At 3-0 Nationals before the Mets even came to bat, those ghosts were waving at you to bring them more Doritos. (Metstradamus has not been compensated by Doritos for this post.) And by the time we got to 4-2 Nats in the bottom of the eighth with Ryan Madson on the mound, those ghosts were six beers deep while regaling in tales of Luis Castillo and Scott Schoeneweis digging up Indian burial grounds in 2008.

But aah, the eighth inning, which was so good before Monday when it all turned to mush. That eighth inning is now someone else’s nightmare. Namely, Dave Martinez’s nightmare, who left Madson to die in what turned into a nine run eighth inning which included a Todd Frazier game tying two run single, a Juan Lagares two run double down the right field line in what was a very un-J.D. Martinez type swing, and for good measure a grand slam by Yoenis Cespedes to blow away the Nationals 11-5. (It also featured two very good at-bats by Michael Conforto.)

Everyone can all breathe again.

It was also a face turn for the bullpen … especially Paul Sewald who pitched three excellent innings and only gave up one run, which was a product of Jay Bruce’s optimism on a Ryan Zimmerman “triple”. (So that’s why they didn’t trade Sewald for Jason Kipnis.) A.J. Ramos earned the win with a sold eighth, and Seth Lugo mopped up in the ninth. Even though the Mets lost the series to the Nationals at Citi Field, finishing off the homestand with a victory was chicken soup for the soul. Make no mistake: this was as big as a win can get in April. The ghosts have gone home for the time being. And if you feel better, think of how the players feel tonight as they fly to Atlanta.

Today’s Hate List

1. Ryan Zimmerman
2. Tanner Roark
3. Jose Bautista
4. Rio Ruiz
5. Brian Jordan